Building construction



July 15. 1924. 1,501,364

' E. L. 'OVINGTON T BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed'July' 18 "192-1 INVFNTOR,

Patented July 15, 1924.

EARLE L. OVINGTON,

OF ElANTA BARBARA, GALIEORNIA.

BUILDENG CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed July 18, 1921. Serial No. 485,452.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARLE L. @vrNsroN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Barbara, in the county of Santa Barbara and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Building Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to building construction, and more particularly to the association, combination and inter-relation of compartments, spaces, rooms, passages and the like, and closures, such as provided or as may be provided in dwelling houses, hotels, apartments and other structures used for dwelling purposes. The invention has for objects the provision, inter-relation and association and the like above set forth to the end that space may be economized and used for a variety of purposes otherwise impossible or impracticable, and whereby given passages, spaces, rooms, compartments and the like acquire increased utility and are attended in use and occupancy by increased convenience and comfort.

The invention particularly relates to dwelling structures in which space is economized and suitable dwelling or living arrangements and provisions are aimed at conjointly with elimination of unnecessary interior spaces, such as is the practice in the standard and varied types of bungalows extensively constructed and occupied upon the Pacific Coast and the more equable climes of the United States and other countries where out-door life to a large degree prevails, and dwelling houses and compartments are to a relatively lesser degree employed throughout the twenty-four hours of the day, and are employed and occupied primarily for sleeping, bathing, robing and disrob ing and meal-serving purposes.

The invention consists in the novel and useful provision, arrangement, inter-relation, association and combination of parts, members and features, all as hereinafter described, shown in the drawing, and finally pointed out in claims.

The drawing is a horizontal sectional view taken through the corner portion of a dwelling structure and illustrating an embodi ment of the invent-ion in one form.

The several parts of the drawing are designated by reference characters.

Referring-with particularity to the draw ing, I have shown therein a portion of a dwelling structure having outer walls A and B n eeting at a corner of the building 5, and having inner walls C and D respectively, Jarallel with the walls A and and spaced therefrom to provide spaces or co 1- partments or rooms 0:,0, d and e respectively the inner walls C and D extending at door space. a door-step or the like at being shown as disposed exteriorly of the wall A and athwart the outer end of such passage f. The passage 7 is likewise adapted to com municate with the spaces or compartments 0 and (5 respectively, but such communication may be terminated by hinged upright doors 5 and 6, respectively, hinged to the walls A and D at T and 8, such doors being adapted respectively to be opened and swung at their free against stop beads 9 and 10 )rovided upon the walls A and C respectively, and when in such opened positions indicated by dotted lines at 11 and 12 respectively, such doors 5 and 6 close 05 the passage f at its forward and rearward ends, terminating the communication of such passage with out-door space and with the room or compartment An upright door 13 may likewise be hinged to the wall A, as at l l athwart the outer end of the passage f, to close against a stop head 15 on the wall A and serve as an outer door for the passage f, being preferably mounted to open outwardly as indicated by the dotted lines at 16, so as not to interfere with or impede movement of or to collide with the doors 5 and 6. hen the doors 5 and 6 occupy the dotted positions at 11 and 12 respectively, the spaces or rooms or compartments 0, f and (Z are all thrown together or catenated, or linked up en suite, so as to constitute a single chamber or compartment or room, which is entirely shut off from the main or larger room E, and the out-doors, by such doors 5 and 6 with or without the outer door 13. When the doors 5 and 6 are in the positions shown in the drawing, in section lines, the compartments 0 and d are shut off from each other and from the passage 7, and from the room E, and the door 13 may shut off the passage 7 from out-door space, or it may be swung open to permit ingress and egress by one traversing such passage 7, to or from the room E or other parts of the building in communication therewith.

Due to the peculiar and novel and convenient and economical inter-relation and relative arrangement and association of the rooms, compartments and spaces mentioned and depicted, the portion of the dwelling house disclosed in the drawing and described may be rapidly and conveniently transformed so as to permit either this use or that use, or these uses or those uses, of the floor and compartment spaces, all in ac cordance with preference and desirability; and this is accomplished merely by the manipulation of the several doors 5, 6 and 13 or primarily by manipulation of the doors 5 and 6. In the drawing, and as one embodiment of the invention, the compartment 0 is shown as equipped as a toilet or retiring room, F, illustrating conventionally a watercloset unit, and G designating conventionally a unit served by electric circuit wires 9 for heating or lighting purposes, as for instanc an electric heater. The room or compartment d is shown as a bath-room having a bath tub H,'provided with service cocks h.

It thus follows that when the doors 5 and '6 are closed, the retiring room 0 and the bath-room d are entirely cut off from the passage and the room E, access to such compartments 0 and at being, however, obtainable upon opening the doors 5 and 6 respectively' The passage f may now be employed for passing to either of such compartments 0 and d or for passing into or out of the house. The passage f constitutes an entry or passage for the house, and may be closed to the out-door space by means of the door 13. I

When the doors 5 and 6 are thrown against the stop beads 9 and 10 respectively, .a-ndoccupy the dotted line positions indicated at 11 and 12, whether the door 13 be opened or closed, (it being preferably closed and locked to prevent interference from the outside), the rooms or compartments 0, f and cl are all thrown together and constitute one common space or compartment, within which a person may robe or disrobe, bathe, and employ the units F, G and H as may be desired or required. A particular use for such composite compartment consists in its employment as a dressing room, wherein a person may make his or her toilet at morning or night, and with the addition of a bath, and this composite compartment may likewise be conveniently employed for changing wearing apparel during the day, orv for putting on and taking off a bathing suit, such use being particularly advantageous when my dwelling house construction is utilized at a watering place.

it will be obvious that the inner surfaces of the doors 5 and 6 may be equipped with mirrors, racks or other devices, not shown, but which may contribute to convenience and comtort in the use of the improvements of the invention.

When it is desired to again restore the building construction and the interiors of the several rooms or compartments of the building, to normal or usual condition or requirement, it is only necessary to restore the doors 5 and 6 to their normally closed positions indicated in the drawing, whereupon the passage f is again rendered available for access to both compartments 0 and d and the out-door space.

It will be further seen that the door 6 may be thrown into the position shown in dotted lines at 12, with the door 5 closed or in normal position, as shown in the drawing, in which case a composite compartment is rovided comprising the two compartments and (Z which may be shut ofi from the out-doors by the door 13, and which will be shut off from both the compartment 0 and the compartment E. Similarly, the door 5 may be swung into the position indicated in dotted lines at 11, and the door 6 permitted to occupy its normal position, wherein a composite compartment consisting of the spaces a and f will be provided, out of communication with the out-doors, but in communication with the room E.

It is obvious also that the doors 5 and 6 and 13 may be reversed upon their hinges, or one or certain of them may, to provide varying modes of use or operation or interrelation of the features and elements and compartments of the building construction, without in any essential departing from the real invention.

It is obvious that many changes and variations and modifications and departures may be made in practicing the invention, such, for instance, as substitution of various units for the units F, G and H and modification with respect to relative arrangement and inter-connection and interrelation of spaces, compartments and rooms, and variations in the size, relative sizes, nature and disposition of such rooms and spaces and compartments, and the doors, all without departing from the true spirit of the invention.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A building construction including a plurality of compartments adapted to intercommunicate, another compartment adapted to communicate/with one of said first named compartments, closure frames for each of said compartments, closure members mounted on certain of'said frames and each adapted to closetwodifierent door openings to establish communication between said first mentioned compartments to the exclusion of the second mentioned compartment, or to establish communication between one of said first named compartments and saidsecond named compartment, one of said first named compartments constituting a normal passageway between other of said first named compartments, and a door extending athwart the said passageway and adapted to close the same when in normal position.

2. A building construction including a main compartment, a plurality of other compartments adapted to intercommunicate with each other and said main compartment, door frames at the openings for establishing communication between said compartments, and a pair of closure members adapted to alternately cooperate with one of two door frames either to establish communication between a pair of said plurality of compartments to the exclusion of the main compartment, or to prevent communication between said plurality of compartments but establish communication between one of the same and the main compartment.

3. A building construction including opposite compartments having a passageway therebetween and adapted to intercommunicate, a third compartment with which one of said first named compartments is also adapted to communicate, and closure members each adapted to cooperate with one of two door openings thereby to establish communication between the opposite compartments to the exclusion of the third; or permit communication between one of said opposite compartments and the third; or establish communication between said passageway and said third compartment.

4. A building construction including a passageway leading to a main compartment, a closure member for said passageway, other compartments located at opposite sides of said passageway and having door frames providing door openings communicating therewith, and a pairof closure members for said door openings adapted to either cooperate with said door frames on the same or opposite sides of the passageway.

5. A building construction including a passageway having door frames at the sides and ends thereof, and doors mounted on certain of said door frames to alternatively provide closure members for the door frames at the sides and ends.

6. A building construction including a passageway havmg door frames at the sides thereof, and doors mounted at opposite corners of the door frames thereby normally to provide closure-members for such door frames, and said doorseach adapted to be projected across the passageway to cooperate with a jamb member of'an opposite door frame. 7

. 7. A building construction includingla passageway having opposite door frames, doors hinged at opposite edges of said door framesand adapted to close two different openings, and an additional closure member extending across the passage when in normal position.

8. A building construction including opposite compartments adapted to intercommunicate with each other, a third compartment with which one of said first named compartments is adapted to communicate, and closure members adapted to cooperate with two different door openings thereby to establish communication between said opposite compartments and exclude communication with said third compartment.

9. A building construction including a passageway having opposite door frames and doors hinged in said door frames at opposite corners, the said opposite door frames each providing within itself a door seat parallel to the passageway and cooperating with an opposite door frame to provide a door seat at right angles to the passageway.

10. In building construction, two compartments adapted to communicate with each other, a passage-way between said compartments, and a further compartment; a compartment closure being provided adapted to close off said further compartment from said passageway and said two compartments and likewise being adapted to be moved into position to establish communication between said passage-way and one of said compartments and said further compartment, and cut ofi communication of all thereof with one of the first named compartments.

11'. In building construction, two compartments adapted to communicate with each other, a passage-way between said compartments, and a further compartment; a compartment closure being provided adapted to close off said further compartment from said passage-way and said two compartments and likewise being adapted to be moved into position to establish communication between such passage-way and one of said compartments and said further compartment, and out off communication of all thereof with one of the first named compartments; further closure means being provided controlling communication between said passage-way and the other of said first named compartments.-

12. In building construction, two compartments adapted to communicate with each other, a passage-way between said compartments, and a further compartment; a compartment closure being provided adapted to close off said further compartment from said-passageway and said two compartments and likewise being adapted to be moved into position to establish communication between said passage-way and one of said compartments and said further compartment, and cut off communication of all thereof with one of the first named compartments; further closure means being provided controlling communication between said passage- In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

' EARLE L. OVINGTON. WVitnesses:

MRS H. L. KILER, ADELAIDE OVINGTON. 

